Chapter 293
Damian chuckled. “What in the world are you talking about, Ms. Larson? Family visiting a patient is as natural as apple pie.”
I let out a sigh of relief, my grip on Robin’s hand slowly easing.
“But…” Damian’s smile faded somewhat “Caleb isn’t your run–of–the–mill patient. He’s highly aggressive, and he’s broken the law. He’s under investigation, and without police clearance, we can’t allow visits.”
“Dr. Damian, the reasons behind Caleb’s assault are still being investigated. Even the police haven’t… Robin began, bis voice laced with barely contained anger.
Damian cut him off. “Officer Robin, if you were still on the detective squad, providing the right paperwork might persuade me to let you visit. We have protocols to follow, and you wouldn’t want to put us in a tough spot, right?”
The subtext in Damian’s words was clear: Robin, you’re not a detective anymore, you’re a traffic cop now, and you should stick to directing cars.
Robin clenched his fists, ready to lunge forward.
I grabbed his arm tightly. “Let’s go.”
“We don’t have time,” Robin said, a note of panic in his voice.
*Our only hope is to rely on Finn to figure out who the killer is targeting next,” I said with a shake of my head.
Damian wasn’t going to let us see Caleb.
“Caleb was provoked, deliberately targeted because the aggressor knew about his mental health issues. If the police wrap up their investigation and lift the surveillance, then Damian will have no right to stop us from visiting,” I said, taking a deep breath before glancing back at the towering facade of the mental institution.
Right now, any effort would be futile. If Colin had decided to check himself in here, he must have had his reasons.
“We need to find Finn,” Robin said, leading me off in search of Finn.
“Your current status…, it comes with a lot of restrictions,” I murmured as a reminder.
Robin fell silent, clearly regretting his earlier impulsiveness that led to him decking Dorian. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be in this position…
“I just feel… there’s something off about Damian,” I whispered, eyeing the institution’s building. “Robin, do you hear someone crying?”
I couldn’t be sure if it was just my imagination, but every time I got close to the institution, I could hear screams and cries, as if countless tortured souls were struggling.
Robin listened intently for a moment before shaking his head. “I don’t hear anything.”
I took another deep breath. “Then maybe… I’m just too on edge. Let’s go.”
Once in the car, I looked at Eric. “We need to find a way to get to Carl and make him drop the charges voluntarily. If we can do that, we can secure visiting rights for Colin.”
Eric nodded. “It’ll be tough; Carl’s Henry’s man.”
I paused before speaking again. “Doesn’t Henry have people he needs favors from?”
Eric nodded again. “Sure does. Henry’s been eager to legitimize his dockside dealings and his underground earnings. He wants to take over the Langley Group to slowly launder his shady assets. But to get his hands on the Langley Group, he needs solid strategic partners. The All–Stars Consortium has been rising rapidly in the business world, and Henry’s been itching to cozy up to their mysterious CEO.”
In a nutshell, the person Henry was after was the CEO of the All–Stars Consortium. The very same enigmatic character Melody said she might be able to introduce us to.
“I’ve got it,” I said, massaging my temples.,
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